Ghana’s Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has urged African leaders to confront the economic and social conditions driving young people to leave the continent, arguing that efforts to end conflict must go hand in hand with creating jobs and opportunities for Africa’s growing youth population.
Speaking at the African Union Executive Council’s 26th Extraordinary Session in Luanda, Angola, on Saturday, August 29, Ablakwa said Africa’s recurring conflicts, underdevelopment and lack of economic opportunities were interconnected challenges that required a broader response than military and security interventions.
The meeting was convened to strengthen Africa’s mechanisms for conflict prevention and resolution as the continent continues to grapple with armed conflicts, violent extremism and political instability.
Ablakwa said African leaders must examine the underlying conditions that continue to fuel instability, pointing to injustice, limited opportunities for young people, corruption, underdevelopment, resource exploitation, intolerance and external influence as some of the factors driving conflict.
He also connected these challenges to the growing pressure on young Africans to seek opportunities outside the continent, arguing that migration should be viewed partly through the lens of Africa’s development deficit.
Ablakwa said the movement of thousands of young Africans towards Europe reflects the urgency of addressing the continent’s conflicts and economic challenges, stressing that “the recent depressing images from the avalanche of over 72,000 young Africans who breached fences to enter Ceuta in Spain should bring home the urgency of silencing the guns and an imperative to divert resources from funding conflicts to creating jobs.”
The Ghanaian minister argued that such movements should force African governments to reconsider how resources are allocated, particularly when large amounts of money are directed towards managing conflicts rather than expanding economic opportunities.
Across Africa, insecurity, underdevelopment and limited economic opportunities are interconnected, with many young people looking abroad because their local economies cannot provide sufficient jobs or viable pathways to prosperity.
Africa’s growing youth population could become a major economic advantage if matched with jobs, skills, infrastructure and industrial investment. Without these, the continent risks turning its demographic strength into a source of economic and social pressure.
Migration is not inherently a problem, but dangerous journeys driven by desperation should be a warning. African governments must therefore treat job creation and economic development as part of the continent’s broader peace and security agenda.
Ending conflicts matters, but lasting stability will also require building economies in which young Africans can see a future at home.
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